


Ginger Tea

by findafight



Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/F, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Sickfic, Tumblr Prompt, sorta a bit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 14:32:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13273467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/findafight/pseuds/findafight
Summary: Based on a prompt, a short and sweet sickfic in which Karolina needs company and also maybe a princess charming.





	Ginger Tea

Karolina feels like she’s dying. She  _isn’t_  of course, but  _Gib_  she feels like it. Her head is pounding, sinuses congested to the point of changing her voice, her throat feels like the Sahara on fire when she swallows, she hasn’t been able to eat anything besides herbal tea and a little soup in two days, and she’s a bit loopy on cough syrup.

Her dad has told her to stay in bed, even as he goes off for three weeks to location shoot somewhere in the midwest. Her mother has been busy with the Church lately, so Karolina has been left to her own devices for the most part. She’s texted the groupchat that her and the kids she’s grown up with have, good friends that have seen her covered in her own vomit before and trusts they probably will again, begging for someone to distract her from her suffering. There’s only so much  _Criminal Minds_  one person can watch without being paranoid.

Amy wishes her a speedy recovery but is busy with one of her practices, Chase has lacrosse, Alex has AV club, and Gert is bound by sisterly duty to babysit and help Molly, who has a massive project due in the next couple days. Karolina signs and aimlessly taps her phone.

It buzzes again, and she automatically taps to view the message. It’s Nico, offering to bring over  _more_ soup and tea, and saying she can stay a while too. Karolina agrees without a thought.

She stares at the ceiling not knowing why she’s smiling until the doorbell rings. Karolina drags herself out of bed, shuffles in her slippers and wrapped in her comforter to open the door. Nico is there, plastic bag with Tupperware and a box of tea in hand.

“Hey. I brought ginger tea, kleenex, and some vegetable soup. Also, some movies to watch, figured you’d want a change of pace.” Nico says as Karolina gestures for her to enter. 

“‘anks Nico,” And gosh, she can’t really breath but seeing Nico here has already made her feel better. 

Nico hands her the movies and smiles. “I’ll make some tea, and you hunker down and choose a movie. Let’s get you better, ‘Lina.” Having known each other since birth has perks, like knowing and being comfortable in each others’ houses, so it isn’t weird to take charge in their friends’ kitchens. (Molly is, despite being youngest and sometimes looked over by the group, notorious for this.)

She’s the best, Karolina is so lucky to have a friend like Nico. She wonders why boys can’t be more like this, why she doesn’t feel a little nervous but a lot happy when Alex or Chase smile at her, but always when Nico smiles. Fiddling with the DVDs, she thinks about how often she watches Nico, how excited she is when Nico sits beside her. It’s probably nothing.

Nico returns with two teacups and reheated soup. “What have you chosen?”

Karolina has been so caught up in thinking about  _Nico_  that she hasn’t actually chosen a movie. She grabs one at random and hands it to Nico. “This one!” She says before grabbing her tea and inhaling its steam. Oh, that does make her feel better.

Nico takes a look at the cover and smiles. “As you wish, Buttercup.” It makes Karolina’s stomach flip, because  _why call her Buttercup?_  She sips her tea and hopes she can blame her sickness for the colour on her cheeks.

She understands when the grandfather visits his ill grandson, and begins to read  _The Princess Bride,_  Weasly always responding to Buttercup’s requests with soft eyes and “ _As you wish.”_  Karolina blushes more, because that’s a  _declaration of love,_  and she knows Nico was just quoting the movie for fun, didn’t mean anything by it, but wouldn’t it be nice if she had?

Nico buries herself in blankets beside her, quoting good parts and asking how she’s doing every once in a while, refilling her teacup accordingly. Despite the butterflies in her stomach, Karo is feeling significantly better than this morning, if only in spirit. (Though the tea did help her sinuses) she’s drowsing by the end of the movie, but still aware when Nico tries to lift her feet off from where she’s stretched them out onto her lap. 

“Sorry. Do you want to watch another one? I brought  _Ella Enchanted_ too. You seemed to need some good fairytales today.” Karolina just nods, sculls the rest of her third cup of lukewarm tea, and settles back down. Nico lifts her feet to sit under them and holds onto her ankle under the blanket covering them. 

It’s nice, relaxing, and she lets herself fade in and out of sleep, lulled by the circles Nico draws on her skin. When Karolina falls fully asleep before Ella even enters the woods, she dreams of a black haired princess, ready to sweep her away to a happily ever after.

**Author's Note:**

> Karolina: why do I feel happy when girls look at me but not when boys do? whatever, I love Nico, she's great and this is friendship I'm feeling.  
> Girl played herself. Uhuh. this is shorter than usual, because of it being [a prompt](https://findafight.tumblr.com/post/169332589340/my-computer-glitched-so-i-lost-the-ask-and-the) and my tendency to write over 2000 words and not know where to go so I don't finish, I figured I'd actually finish and post something. I'm thinking of making a series for the prompts I am (slowly) working through here. Comment! Kudos! Check out my [tumblr](https://findafight.tumblr.com) to send me prompts or just yell about runaways or witness me being a general mess of a person that's chill.


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